The Lost One
by Nurse Steggy
Summary: What caught his attention were her eyes…her identically colored hazel-brown eyes. Rated for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned, ex. The Chronicles of Narnia, mentioned in said story.**

The pitter-patter of feet nearly made him double over. Why on Earth had he agreed to do this? A little girl bounded into the room and said, "Reid?"

"Thanks for doing this Reid," a voice said.

Spencer Reid lifted his head to see Penelope Garcia. Reid shook his head and said, "No problem Garcia. Any idea—"

"They said a week from now," Garcia interrupted him. "I really hate doing this to you."

"No its fine. You guys just sort everything out," Reid said giving her a forced smile.

She knelt down beside the little girl. Reid eyed the little girl. Her hair had a slight curl to it. It was a honey blonde going down to the middle of her back. What caught his attention were her eyes…her identically colored hazel-brown eyes. Garcia rubbed the girl's back encouragingly.

"Perdie this is your Uncle Spencer. Spencer…this is your niece Perdita," Garcia said.

Reid almost vomited on the spot. NIECE? Garcia didn't mention that on the phone!

"N-n-niece?" Reid spluttered.

"Yes Reid…I don't know how to put this lightly," Garcia said. "It turns out you have a sister."

"Huh?" Reid said suddenly feeling dizzy.

"You have a half-sister. Apparently your father had an affair after he left you guys," Garcia said. "He left them as soon as your sister was born. She knew about you because your father left some pictures of you behind. The rest of Perdie's family…."

"Momma?" Perdita questioned.

"Momma is in the hospital…recovering from the burns. Perdie here was lucky enough to have snuck downstairs for a glass of water. She followed the unsub out the door," she said.

"It's not Perdie. It's Perdita," the girl protested.

"What's her name?"

"Who's?"

"My sister's."

"Clarice… Clarice Neumburg."

With that, Garcia left the two alone. Reid looked at Perdita and she returned his gaze.

"So you don't like to be called Perdie?" he said nervously.

"No. Daddy called me Perdie," Perdita said. "I don't like Daddy. He agreed with Grammy that you shouldn't know about us. Your mommy's brother…why doesn't Grammy like you?"

"I-I-I don't know Perdita," Reid said. "I didn't know you were my niece."

"Uncle Spencer?" Perdita asked.

"Yeah….Dita," Reid answered slowly.

"Don't you have a family?"

Reid paused and looked to the small girl, her big eyes boring into him. Reid looked away and twiddled his thumbs. He looked back at Perdita and said, "You are."

Perdita looked at him and asked, "What happened to your mommy?"

"My mommy's sick," Reid found himself saying.

"Oh…well did your daddy leave you too?"

"Perdita…did your daddy leave?"

"Yep," Perdita said. "He yelled at mommy and told her she shouldn't try to talk to you. Then he left the house screaming that he'd take me away if she did."

"Dita…did you see someone pouring stuff on your house?" Reid asked her.

Perdita shook her head and said, "He was wearing a mask. I didn't know his voice. He was grumbling, mad about something. He didn't see me. I hid in the bushes."

"Perdita how old are you?" Reid asked.

"Seven…" Perdita said. "Do you wanna make a fort?"

"Huh?"

"A blanket fort….don't tell me you've never made one," Perdita said.

"I-I-I haven't made one," Reid admitted.

"WHAT!" Perdita cried.

She raced forward and grabbed Reid's hand and started pulling on his arm.

"Come on!" Perdita said. "I'll show you how. Get two chairs."

Reid got the chairs while Perdita found the blankets. She draped the blanket over the chairs. She smiled and put pillows down on the floor. She crawled in and pulled his arm.

"Come on!" she chirped.

He sat in the little make shift fort. She pulled out a book and put it on his lap.

"The Chronicles of Narnia?" he said in surprise.

"Will you read me 'The Horse and His Boy'?" she asked looking at him.

Reid nodded and opened the book. He began to read to Perdita, who rested her head on his lap. Reid looked to see her listening intently. He thought, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned, for example The Chronicles of Narnia.**

"Aravis also had many quarrels( and, I'm afraid even fights) with Cor, but they always made it up again: so that years later, when they were grown up, they were so used to quarreling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently. And after King Lune's death they made a good King and Queen of Archenland, and Ram the Great, the most famous of all the kings of Archenland, was their son. Bree and Hwin lived happily to a great age in Narnia and both got married but not to one another. And there weren't many months in which one or both of them didn't come trotting over the pass to visit their friends at Anvard."

(The above was an excerpt from "The Chronicles of Narnia" the story "The Horse and His Boy". I do not own the passage above.)

Spencer finished the story and closed the book. He looked down and smiled. Perdita was sleeping peacefully, her one hand clinging to his shirt. She looked so small. Spencer Reid sat there and wondered what to do now. He had no idea how to take care of a kid. He took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No…I need to ask you something Hotch," Reid said nervously. "How do you take care of a kid?"

Silence met his question before Hotch's voice came.

"What?"

"Um…I agreed to watch a kid…and she's sleeping right now…but," Reid said hoping Hotch would just answer the question.

"How old is she?"

"Seven."

"Well did you feed her?"

"Not yet."

"When she wakes up make her some food, she'll probably be hungry. Listen to what she says she wants, little kids can be picky and get upset when something isn't exactly as they said it should be. Remember to have her brush her teeth, make sure she changes her clothes, and just socialize with her. Reid I know kids act a little weird around you, but if you listen to what the kid needs when she says it you should be fine," Hotch told him.

Reid sighed in relief and said, "Thanks Hotch."

"And hey," Hotch said. "I'm bringing Jack by the office tomorrow. Why don't you bring her with you?"

"I'll ask her about it," Reid said. "I'm sure she'd like to meet Jack though. Thanks Hotch."

"No problem Reid. Just one thing."

"Huh?"

"Relax okay?"

"All right. Good bye."

"Good bye Reid."

He hung up and smiled down at Perdita. He sighed and slightly adjusted himself. He closed his eyes and fell asleep with Dita cuddled up next to him.

He felt someone tugging on his arm and he woke up. Perdita was sitting up and told him that she was hungry. Reid got up and looked at the time. 5 AM… thank god! He didn't hear his alarm go off. Reid got up and yawned, "What do you want to eat kiddo?"

"Oatmeal," Perdita said.

"All right…milk or water?"

"Milk."

Reid pulled out a box of oatmeal and Perdita giggled.

"You have that dinosaur oatmeal?"

"The regular stuff isn't sweet enough," Reid said simply. "The Quaker Oats brown sugar oatmeal doesn't taste as sugary as their dinosaur oatmeal."

Perdita giggled and said, "That's true."

He made them both oatmeal and got a glass of milk for the little girl. He got some coffee for himself. Perdita ate her oatmeal quietly. Reid finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"So Dita,"

"So Uncle Spence?"

"You want to come with me to work today? Just for a little bit," Reid said. "If anything happens Garcia will be there too."

Perdita's eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly.

"Then we both better get dressed," Reid said taking their empty dishes to the sink. "Did you find your bag?"

"Yeah."

Perdita went to go get changed and Reid put the dishes in the sink. He went to go change as well. He came out and slung his bag over his shoulder. He looked to see Perdita. She was wearing purple cargo pants with a small black and purple shirt. He grabbed a comb and started to comb her hair. Dita smiled and grabbed the comb from his hands. She climbed onto his lap and started to comb his hair. Reid smiled and picked Perdita up. He carried her out the door to the car.

"Dang…did Garcia leave a booster seat?"

Perdita nodded and said, "By the chair."

Reid grabbed the little girl and went back inside.

"You could've left me out there and ran in here," Perdita said.

Reid bit his lip. No, really Reid couldn't have. How many cases did he have were a person was just walking along, or waiting for the bus, or just sitting on their porch when they went missing? Too many for him to leave her outside, especially since that would be the time a potential child predator would strike. He wrapped and arm around Perdita. He grabbed her booster and went back out. He strapped her in and got into the driver's seat.

"You ready Dita?"

"Yes Uncle Spence."

The little girl smiled and gave him the thumbs up. They took off, Perdita looking out the window.

"So what do you do?"

"Huh?"

"Where do you work?"

"I work for the FBI, the Federal—"

"Bureau of Investigation. I know what the FBI is," Perdita said. "Can you get a little more descriptive?"

"I work in the BAU."

"Behavior Analysis Unit. You're a doctor on human behavior?"

"I guess you could say that," Reid said.

"Wow…you must be really smart Uncle Spence," Dita said thoroughly impressed.

Spencer smiled and said, "I graduated high school at the age of 12."

"You can do that?" Perdita asked. "That's amazing! I was moved up to the third grade."

"Well you're a pretty smart kid," he said. "Have you actually read _The Chronicles of Narnia_?"

"Yeah, did you know some people think that Aslan is C.S. Lewis' depiction of God in his books?" Perdita asked.

"I've heard about that. I think they might be right," Reid said. "You're pretty smart kiddo to get that out of the book."

Perdita and Reid talked about the books some more before Reid said, "We're here."

He grabbed Perdita and Perdita grabbed her bag. She looked at Reid and positioned her bag so it was just like Reid's. She grabbed his hand and he led her inside.

"Reid!" a voice came.

"Hey Stan," Reid said greeting the elder guard. "This is my niece Perdita. Dita this is Mr. Stan"

The guard smiled and said, "Hello little lady. So Reid's your uncle huh?"

Perdita nodded shyly hiding behind Reid. Reid patted her head and said, "I'll see you later Stan."

He held her hand as they walked into the BAU. Perdita smiled up at Reid, but jumped when she heard.

"Hey Pretty Boy! Who's your female mini me?" a voice laughed.

Derek Morgan came walking over to Reid. He bent down and looked at Perdita.

"What's your name little lady?" he asked.

Dita hid again, but Reid stepped aside and bent down to Perdita's level too.

"Perdita this is my friend and co-worker Derek Morgan," Reid said. "Derek this is my niece Perdita."

"Niece?" Derek asked. "Thought you were an only kid Pretty Boy?"

"Apparently my dad, um…."

"Met up with another lady?" Derek guessed. "Man that must suck, but she looks a lot like you Reid. I mean aside from the hair color, but her eyes and her facial features. For a minute there I thought she was your kid. You look like you could be her dad."

Perdita laughed. She grinned at Derek and Spencer.

"So he's your co-worker?" Dita asked Spencer.

"Yeah," Reid said. "I work with a team, and Derek's apart of that team. So is Garcia."

"Spence!" a voice said in surprise. "You never said you had a little girl!"

Jennifer Jareau approached them. She bent over and said, "Aww Spence she's so cute!"

"JJ this is my niece Perdita. Dita this is another co-worker and friend of mine," Reid said. "Her name's Jennifer Jareau."

"But you can call me JJ. Everybody does," JJ said smiling.

Derek stood back up, and so did Reid. Garcia came walking over to them and said, "Aw Reid! She looks like a little you when she holds her bag like that!"

Perdita smiled and grabbed Reid's fingers. She looked up at them shyly.

"Why's everybody standing around?" a voice asked.

"Reid picked up a mini me," Derek said. "Reid please don't tell me you gave her any coffee!"

"No! I may not be an expert on raising kids, but I'm not an idiot!" Reid said.

"I had some milk and some oatmeal," Perdita stated in a matter of fact voice.

"Aw she's cute," Emily Prentiss said. "She's the most adorable thing ever! She's holding her bag like you do! You two even have identically colored eyes!"

"She's my niece," Reid said. "Say hi to Emily Perdita."

"Hi Miss. Emily," Perdita said.

"Miss Em?" a voice came.

Perdita looked over to see a boy. It was Hotch's son Jack. Jack came over to her and said, "Hi I'm Jack."

"I'm Perdita!" she chirped.

"Is it bring your kid to work day?" a voice joked lightly.

David Rossi grinned at them. He said, "Hello little lady. What's your name?"

"Perdita! I'm Reid's niece!" the seven year-old said.

Rossi smiled and patted her on the head. Aaron Hotchner was the last one to join them. He smiled and said, "So this is your little girl Reid?"

"My niece. This is Perdita," Reid said.

"Well she hasn't asked for food so I'm thinking you took my advice," Hotch said.

Reid blushed and said, "Yeah. I remembered to feed her."

Rossi picked Perdita up and said, "So Garcia, do you have any information on Clarice Neumburg?"

"She's Reid's half-sister, Perdie's mother," Garcia said.

"She doesn't like being called Perdie," Reid interrupted.

"What?" Garcia asked.

"Perdita…she doesn't like being called Perdie. She prefers Perdita, or I've been calling her Dita."

"Uncle Spence is right," Perdita said. "Do you have any crayons?"

Jack nodded and said, "Do you wanna color with me?"

"Sure!" Perdita said. "Uncle Spence are you gonna color with us?"

"Maybe Miss Emily will color with you," Hotch said.

"I can color with them," Garcia said.

"I'll color with them," JJ said. "Pen, they'll need your awesome computer skills. I'll watch the kids."

Reid was actually kind of sad leaving Perdita, but he went with Hotch and the others, leaving JJ with the two kids.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned, for example The Chronicles of Narnia.**

JJ sat there quietly watching the two kids draw. Jack was on the floor with Perdita next to him. He showed her a picture he'd drawn of his daddy as a superhero. Perdita soon held up a picture for Jack and JJ to see.

There were two people inside what looked like a tent. When Jack asked what it was, Perdita simply answered, "It's me and Uncle Spence in the fort we built."

"Spencer built a fort?" JJ asked.

"Yeah and guess what? He said it was one of the only times he'd ever made one! At first he couldn't remember what I was talking about!" Perdita said.

"Wow!" Jack gasped. "I thought every kid built forts!"

"So did I!" Dita said.

JJ chuckled as the two kids began swapping stories. Dita began to draw another picture while talking to Jack about the forts. Jack was wrapped up in the conversation and he looked at JJ.

"Miss JJ? Have you ever made a fort?"

"Once or twice," she replied. "But that was a while ago. I'm not a kid anymore. Now it's all work, work, work."

"Do you like it?" Dita asked.

"Do I like it?" JJ asked. "I like being able to help catch dangerous people to help other people. I don't like what those people do though."

Dita nodded and said, "I want a job were I'll be happy."

The girl than turned her eyes to Jack.

"What about you?"

"I wanna help people like Daddy does," Jack said.

JJ sighed listening to the two kids talk about a future that seemed so very far away. She ruffled their hair and said, "You two still have a lot of time before then."

Dita looked at JJ and said, "It's better to be prepared."

The little girl looked more like Reid than ever. She had an innocent little look, a look that matched her uncle's, especially when Jack asked her about her mother. Her upset face matched a look Reid normally got while looking at a particularly alarming case.

"Mommy was real young when she had me," Dita said. "I think Mommy was born before Grandpa left Reid's mommy though. I think my mommy was a mistake….and I think I am too."

"Perdita!"

"Well…it's true!" Perdita said. "Why else would Mommy hold me at an arm's length? Why else would Grammy not wanna talk about Spencer?"

The little girl stared at her feet. JJ got up and hugged Perdita.

"The mistakes that people made in the past…we can't change them," JJ said. "But we're all happy you're here Perdita. Reid's been all alone since he had to leave his mommy with the doctor. He likes having you around already Dita…I can tell. Never let anyone tell you you're a mistake."

Dita nodded into JJ's blouse. Jack reached out a hand and patted her shoulder. He then took a piece of paper and began to draw something. He quickly finished it and handed it to Perdita.

"Here," he said.

Dita took the paper and smiled. It was a flower. A bright pink flower. She smiled and hugged Jack. Jack smiled and said, "I made her feel better!"

JJ smiled and patted his head. She said, "You sure did Jack. You sure did."


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

Reid flipped through the file and said, "This is the fifth house fire on the block?"

"Yep, all started with some sort of accelerant," Prentiss said.

"You want to know something else?" Garcia asked.

"What?"

"Clarice wasn't living with her mother, or Perdita's father," Garcia said. "She wasn't living with the father's parents either."

"What you're saying is…"

"Sean Levy isn't her father and the Levys aren't related to Clarice."

"Then why was she staying with them?" Emily asked. "Why wasn't she with her mother? Or the father of her child?"

"Perdita said he left them," Spencer said. "Dita didn't seem to like her father very much…as a matter of fact it's why she hates being called Perdie. She didn't exactly talk about her family. It was as if…"

"As if what Reid?" Derek asked.

"As if I was her only family…." Reid said looking at them. "She every time she talked about her family she always mentioned me first…before her mother."

"Reid…you might be the only person who fully understands her…" Garcia said. "You and her are so alike…I swear to god she was reading the entire way to your place. She barely talked to me, she was absorbed. She's not the most social person…and well…Clarice seems like the exact opposite."

Reid stared at Garcia, his face twisted with confusion. He clearly wanted to know how she knew this.

"I talked with Clarice's friend Vivian…" Garcia admitted. "She was with Perdita when I first got the call to pick her up. I've counseled Clarice before. She has issues with her mother, which is probably why she wasn't living with her mother, but Clarice told me they'd worked it out. Vivian said that Clarice was outgoing and bold. No offense Reid, but you're real self-conscious. Vivian said Clarice didn't know the meaning of that word. She never had a problem speaking to people, her mother being an exception. She was always upbeat and people, especially kids seemed to like her."

Reid was silent as he mulled it over. He nodded now understanding. Clarice might not have done it on purpose, but she probably alienated her child. He then asked about Sean Levy.

"Was Sean in the house?"

"No his parents were," Hotch said. "Why?"

"I want to talk to Sean," Reid said. "I want to know what things were like around the house."

"That might be problematic. He won't leave the hospital," Emily said.

"So?" Reid asked. "I'll go see Clarice too. I want to see my sister."

"Well before you do that I want you to talk to someone," Rossi interjected. "I need you to talk to January Allgost."

"January?" Morgan said raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Ms. Allgost thinks her brother March might have seen something. They live across the street from the Levy's," Rossi said.

"Hold up!" Morgan said. "January, March? How many of them are there?"

"All twelve," Rossi said with a slight smile. "January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. March and April are twins, along with October and November."

Reid looked at him and said, "Are you serious?"

"Yes Reid. Take Prentiss with you."

Reid nodded and got up. Emily grabbed the files and followed him out the door. Morgan looked at Rossi.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No I'm being serious Morgan. Garcia, look them up and tell him."

Garcia typed away and said, "January Marie Allgost, 21, lives with brothers and sisters in the Quantico area."

"Wow…" Morgan said. "Hate to have that name."

Reid was quiet during the drive. Emily looked over at Reid and asked, "How do you feel? About Clarice and Perdita I mean?"

"I guess I'm happy. I adore Dita, no doubt. She's sweet and reminds me…"

"Of yourself. I've seen the way she looks at you. She practically idolizes you. I've noticed. She copied the way you carry your messenger bag. She's happy around you."

"I-I hadn't noticed she was copying me really," Reid said. "I just noticed she seemed attached to me."

"She is. She loves you Reid. You're what she needs," Emily said.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Ever heard the saying 'Birds of a feather flock together'?"

"Of course—"

"You two are two of a kind. You're both smart and sensitive. You both need that one person to understand…and I think Perdita is your person who understands you the best."

They both sat in silence for the rest of the drive. They came to the house a few minutes later. Reid walked up to the house, Emily following right behind him. They knocked on the door.

A young teen opened the door. Her hair was a rich auburn color, her eyes a golden brown. She looked no older than thirteen.

"Hello?" the girl said.

"Hello, I'm S.S.A. Prentiss, this is S.S. A. Dr. Reid, we're here to speak to your sister January," Prentiss said. "Is she home Miss…."

"October. She's home. I'll go get her," she said. "November come over to the door for a minute!"

A boy, identical to October, came walking over to them. The girl ran off yelling, "January! January! Someone's at the door!"

November simply stood there staring at them. A hassled looking man came to the door and said, "Come on in! November, stop glaring!"

November nodded and walked away from them.

"Hi I'm February," the man said extending his hand. "Jan will be right down. December's been giving her a run for her money."

"I'm S.S.A. Prentiss, this is S.S.A. Dr. Reid," Prentiss said taking his hand.

A boy came running down the steps screaming that he didn't want to brush his hair. More like he didn't want January brushing it. A tired looking woman trudged down the steps and handed the hair brush to February.

"YOU can brush his hair!" January nearly cried.

Feb patted Jan on the back and looked at December.

"Get over here now!" he said running after his youngest brother.

"Hello you must be Agent Prentiss and Dr. Reid. March is upstairs with April. Just to let you know March doesn't really talk. He whispers stuff to April, and she's usually very good about translating it correctly," January said. "We don't know why he won't talk…he doesn't even talk to us."

The two agents exchanged looks and followed the woman up the steps.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

A thin woman in her twenties opened the door into a bedroom. Her dark blue eyes scoured the room until they settled on a boy and girl.

"It'll be all right March…"

"N-i-wo-," the boy replied.

"March? April? Meet S.S.A Prentiss and S.S.A Dr. Reid," January said to the two people in the room.

The boy looked at them. His auburn hair fell into his eyes, which were a breath taking green. The female was the same way. Her auburn hair fell into her eyes, which were the same green as the boy's.

Reid looked at March. Something in his eyes betrayed him. They were narrowed and suddenly, he noticed that the boy had shifted. He was in front of his sister, his eyes locked on Reid. Both agents caught the tenseness and uncertainty that came from the boy.

"March?" Prentiss asked wearily. "We'd like to ask you what you saw. On March 19, the Levy's house was set on fire. It killed Mr. and Mrs. Levy, and left a woman, Clarice Neumburg in the hospital. Sean Levy…did you see him leave the house?"

March nodded and April added, "He works the night shift….doesn't usually come home till around one in the morning."

"The fire was first sighted around 11:30…Sean Levy wouldn't have been home at the time," January said. "I was 11:30 when I woke up by the wailing of people. Mrs. Craftburn nearly had a heart attack."

March looked at April and whispered something. April looked at the agents.

"March said Mrs. Craftburn was the second to see the fire, only moments after March did. He woke me up and held out the phone. He told me to call 911," April said. "He says he saw a man walking out of the house. Perdita was following him."

"You know Perdita?" Spencer suddenly asked.

March nodded and looked at April.

"We've babysat Perdita before. Her and December are rather good friends," April said plainly. "All of us love Perdita….her dad was a nasty piece o' work though."

"What was he like?" Prentiss asked.

"He was rude, loud, and he liked to stare at me. He'd make obscene comments. Him and March got into a lot of fights," April said.

March's eyes darkened as he moved closer to his sister. Reid realized something and asked, "January, Emily, April…can you leave the room? I'd like to talk to March alone."

January looked at Reid and said, "I dunno…March barely goes anywhere without April."

Emily nodded and gently nudged April out. January followed, casting Reid a glance. Reid looked at the boy. His tenseness was still there, but his eyes were fixed on the door. He saw Reid staring at him and threw him a sharp glare.

"Listen March….I'm not going to hurt April. I'm not going to hurt you either. Clarice is my sister…and I just found out she existed. I want to know who hurt my little sister. Surely you can understand March?"

March nodded soundlessly.

"Perdita is my niece…she might…might be the only sane family I have left. Maybe Clarice too. Just tell me what you saw."

March looked at him. Their eyes locked and for the first time Reid was able to read his eyes clearly. They showed strain, and tension. They were also dark, and cold, but deep inside, what March thought Reid couldn't see, was pain… and a lot of it. The nineteen year-old's compassion was hidden deep inside his dark green eyes.

"There was a man…" a low, hoarse voice said. "I couldn't see his face. He was yelling at the house in a low voice. Perdita was scared. I could tell. She didn't know who the man was, but he simply looked at her and was chanting, "Lucy…Lucy…Lucy." I was scared. I wanted to run and grab Perdita, but I knew it'd be too dangerous. When the house went up in flames…it took all I had not to lose my cool. I woke up April and told her to call 911. The man was in his twenties-thirties, dark hoodie, he was a white male, but I couldn't make out details. He's probably as tall as you."

"What about April? Why are you afraid for her?"

"Lucy…Lucy was the name of April's baby…or it was going to be…"

"What?"

"April miscarried. She was heartbroken."

March's sadness seemed to be present in his eyes.

"She was more than heartbroken wasn't she?"

March nodded and shed a tear.

"She became depressed. For a while she wouldn't eat or sleep and it didn't help that her boyfriend, no her fiancé broke off with her…just because she miscarried! That almost destroyed her. I almost kicked his ass too."

"March…does anyone else know?"

"No…January doesn't know. Not even February. I was the only one who knew aside from her. I was the first person she told…and she miscarried early in the pregnancy," March said looking at Reid. "We never told anyone…never."

Reid nodded and said, "Look…thank you for the information."

He got up and walked over to the door. Reid turned to look at March and said, "Hey."

March looked up, his eyes questioning. Reid handed him a card and said, "Any time you need to talk March…just call me."

March gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Tell Perdita I said 'Hi' will you?" he said.

Reid smiled and said, "I'll be sure to tell her. Thank you March."

Reid walked over to Prentiss and said, "Let's go. I want to get to the hospital before visiting hours are over."

Prentiss nodded and followed him, thanking January as the woman and her sister stood there confused. He was let out by a sweet little thing that turned out to be September. Prentiss walked beside him and grabbed his shoulder.

"We weren't done!" Emily protested.

"Yes. We have something…and I have a suspect. I'm going to talk to September later. March told me it was a white male, my height, twenties- thirties, wearing dark hoodie, and he was chanting Lucy," Reid said.

"You got all of that from him?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I plan to ask September about April's boyfriend."

"April's boyfriend?"

"April was pregnant…but she never told anyone, except for her brother. Her daughter's name was going to be Lucy."

"What happened?"

"She had a miscarriage," Reid said in a sad tone. "According to March, it nearly destroyed her losing that baby. Apparently her boyfriend broke off."

"And you think…."

"He might be targeting people similar to April…or single women with children. Think about it. He lost a daughter…all of the houses had at least one daughter…" Reid said gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Em? I think we need to get the kids out."

"What?"

"I said I think we should remove June through December and April from the house. June's seventeen, and the rest are younger. April could be a potential target, so it would be best to remove her."

"That would leave January, February, March, and May in the house."

"Exactly…two pairs. A twenty one year old, a twenty year old, a nineteen year old, and an eighteen year old, four adults no children."

Emily looked at him and said, "We'll discuss it with Hotch and the team."

Reid nodded and focused on driving to the hospital. He inhaled as the parked in the parking lot. Emily looked at Reid and asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah…"

"Let's go then," she said.

The two got out and headed into the hospital.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

"Excuse me," Emily Prentiss said walking over to a nurse. "We're looking for Clarice Neumburg."

Reid held his bag tensely as the nurse gave Emily the directions to the room. Prentiss thanked the nurse and put a hand on Reid's shoulder.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

Reid nodded and the two headed over to an elevator. They got inside, Reid's stomach slightly churning. He wasn't sure if it was the fact he was in an elevator, or the fact he was about to meet his sister for the first time.

They came to room 279. Prentiss knocked on the door, to be greeted by a man.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Emily Prentiss. This is Spencer Reid…Clarice's brother…"

"Seriously?" the man said stepping out.

The man was probably about 5'10, dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes. He looked over Reid and said, "She's been asking for a Spencer…I was beginning to wonder…"

"Who are you?" Prentiss asked.

"Sean Levy," he said holding out a hand. "Clarice's new boyfriend."

"New boyfriend?" Emily asked.

"I'm not Perdita's father," Sean said. "She left that jerk after she figured out he'd been creeping on one of the neighbors. Clair also mentioned that she wanted to get in contact with you, and he freaked out. Her mother had a conniption about it, so I told her she could live with me…and it took off from there."

Reid nodded and then asked, "Could I see her…please?"

Sean smiled and nodded. He stepped aside and allowed Reid access.

"I want to ask you a couple questions about Clarice's other boyfriend," Prentiss said.

"Wait…you're with the FBI aren't you? Well I'm gonna tell you one thing…" Sean said. "I didn't kill my parents…and I didn't try to kill Clair! I was-"

"At work. Your neighbors, January, March, and April, have already assured me of this. But April did mention that March got into a lot of fights with this man…why?"

Sean shifted uncomfortably. He looked at the door and then at Emily.

"The guy was a creep. He would look at April, he'd make sex jokes around April… he made her nervous. One time the guy stroked her hair and March almost killed him. April screamed at him to get away, and March just flipped. I think he wanted to bang the chick, and I think March got the same idea. That's why March is so protective of April. He doesn't want any nasty perverts touching her," Sean said. "Aynon Izaak, that's what his name was. He's Perdita's father."

"Do you know if he did that to his own daughter?"

Sean shrugged and said, "Unless Clair's hiding it from me than no. Not that I know of. As a matter of fact, he didn't seem too fond of Perdita."

Emily nodded and said, "Now what do you know about April Allgost?"

"April? She's March's twin sister, born on April first—"

"You know her birthday?"

"Well yeah…March's is in March and April's is in April, so I demanded to know how that was possible, turns out March was born March 31st at 11:58 pm, and April was born April 1st at 12:01 am. Therefore, they were born in separate months, but are still twins. Same thing with October and November."

"Oh…" Prentiss said. "What else?"

"She was dating this guy called Mark Russels, and they got engaged, but for some reason they broke off," Sean said. "I know that because March nearly kicked his sorry ass into a hospital bed. Mark was really pissed about something, but he never said."

"So you know Russels?"

"Yeah, we work in the same building. Nice guy. He's real supportive and friendly, so it was totally out of character for him to do something like that."

"_Not unless that's the side of him he's hiding from you,"_ Prentiss thought to herself.

Sean went to go back inside when Emily grabbed his arm.

"Give them a moment."

"Okay."


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

Reid nervously approached the bedside. He looked at the woman in the bed. She looked…broken. Her eyes cast an empty glance, but the heart monitor was still beeping. He tentatively touched her hand and said, "Clarice?"

She looked at him, her hazel eyes locking with his. Tears welled in her eyes and she whispered, "Spencer? Spence is that you?"

He nodded nervously. She tried to curl her fingers around his but couldn't. Most of her hair, which had been a dark brown, was singed off. She looked something short of a corpse. It made Reid nervous. He was just meeting her…he couldn't lose her already.

"How's Perdita?"

"Dita's fine. She's a lovely little girl," Spencer said. "She's with a friend of mine…she's coloring with her new friend Jack too."

"Jack?"

"My boss's son…but sometimes I actually do feel like 'Uncle Spence'," Reid chuckled.

Clarice gave him a weak smile before she gave him a serious look.

"I need…you…to promise me something Spence."

"What?"

"If I don't make it…take Perdita. It's not fair that I grew up never knowing my brother, so at least she deserves to know her uncle."

Spencer looked over Clarice. The burns were bad. He knew that not everyone who received burns died from them, but she looked so frail. Reid nodded and said, "I'll take her."

Clarice smiled and closed her eyes. She fell fast asleep, feeling content with the fact she had Reid. She was content that her child wouldn't fall into her ex's hands, but would go to her brother, whom she instinctively trusted. He was with the FBI after all! The guy couldn't be bad news.

Spencer gently stroked her hand and said, "Good bye little sister…when you wake up, I probably won't be here."

He walked out of the room, tears threatening to leak out of his eyes. Emily touched his shoulder and said, "Are you ready?"

Reid nodded and looked to Sean. He took something out of his pocket and gave it to Sean.

"Give this to Clair….Dita drew it," he said turning away.

Emily followed after Reid, who was trying his damnedest not to cry. Sean unfolded the piece of paper. There was Clarice, him, her…and Reid. Underneath it, it said my family. It read: Mommy, Daddy, Me, and Uncle Spencey, my big happy family.

Sean almost cried too. How he wished it were the truth…oh how he did.

**Author's Note:**

**I apologize for the long break and the short chapter, but I'm working on a couple other stories, while trying to juggle school and family time in here. So please be patient (I'm such a hypocrite.) Any suggestions for the story are welcomed…I like constructive criticism.**


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

A fourteen year old girl was twitching about as she looked around. She brushed her brown hair out of her hazel eyes and looked around. It wasn't until she spotted a lanky figure coming her way. She recognized him immediately.

"Hello Dr. Reid!" she chirped happily. "I'm September! You wanted to talk about April?"

"Yes," he said nodding. "What was her boyfriend like?"

"Her boyfriend Mark? Oh he was nice…at least until he left," September said. "He was so friendly, but something musta happened that he didn't like. He's not very accepting…"

"Can you tell me more?" he asked.

"Oh sure! Her and Mark met up at work one day, April was his waitress and they really hit off. At first he was all nice and stuff, but there was this one time that April was talking to another guy and Mark got real jealous. He was really possessive over her! I mean I thought March was possessive! Something musta happened 'cause one day he called my sister a senseless whore and walked out on her. She refused to leave her room and March almost kicked his ass into the middle of next week but couldn't 'cause February wouldn't let 'em!" September babbled. "He was never mean to us and was just as possessive of us as he was of her."

"Did he ever hit April?"

"Not that I know of," September replied. "All I know is that Mark was mad at her. He yelled and screamed, but I don't think he ever hit her."

"He hit April a couple times…" a timid voice sounded.

A boy came out and walked over towards them. His dark brown hair matched his sister's his icy blue eyes reminding Reid of January.

"December I presume?" he said to September.

"Yep! And whaddya mean DC?" she demanded.

"He hit April…not that she'd ever let anyone know," December said looking down at his feet.

The twelve year old looked terrified. He looked at his older sister, her eyes wide with shock. Reid put a hand on DC's shoulder.

"December…"

"He got mad with April for sticking up for his brother!" DC said grinding his heel into the ground. "His brother was friends with these two girls who were dating each other. Mark's brother didn't care the two girls loved each other…but Mark did. April argued with him, and he hit her a couple times until she stopped talking. She hides it from us all! She didn't even tell March!"

September looked shocked, and from Reid's previous meeting with the twins, he could tell the two were very close. It was as if there were no secrets between April and March, but Reid was discovering the twins may be hiding things from each other.

"September! December! What are you two doing?" a girl yelled.

Her eyes were a bright green, her dirty blonde hair hitting her shoulders.

"May!" September chirped. "This is Dr. Reid."

Reid smiled and waved at May. May returned the smile and looked at her two younger siblings.

"We got a call from S.S.A Hotchner," May said looking at the three of them. "He agrees with you Dr. Reid. He's removing June through December from the house. If you two want anything get it now. We're going to stay with Aunt Summer."

"Out of curiosity," Reid asked. "What's your mother's name?"

"Autumn," September smiled.

"Do you have aunts named Winter and Spring?" he asked.

December just smiled and Reid shook his head.

"Of course you would…." He mumbled. "Come on…let's head back and September?"

"Yes?"

"Next time, have June stay with you," Reid said taking December's hand.

Reid guided December through the crowd. May grabbed September and followed him. The four stuck close together as they approached the house. Reid looked down at September and said, "I appreciate you talking to me September."

The little girl nodded and Reid ruffled her hair. The man walked away taking his phone out. He dialed a number and pressed send.

"Reid?"

"Hey Morgan listen," Reid started. "I just talked with September…turns out Mark did hit April. September said he noticed a change in Mark's demeanor, and December said that he hit April."

"Why is this important?"

"Morgan, the man who set the fire was chanting Lucy, which happens to be the name of the baby April miscarried," Reid started. "Clarice, Perdita, and the Levys' were on good terms with them. What if April's ex is setting these fires?"

Morgan was quiet for a moment and then he spoke, "Okay Pretty Boy. I'm gonna call Garcia and see if she can find anything."

"All right Morgan. I'm heading back," Reid said, and with that he hung up.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

JJ looked down at Jack and then looked back up.

"Dita? Dita come out!" JJ said.

"You win Dita!" Jack yelled. "You can come out now!"

The blonde woman was looking under desks when a voice asked, "What in the name of God's green earth are you doing?"

JJ looked up to see Reid. She sighed and said, "We were playing hide-and-seek….and we can't find Dita to save our lives."

Reid looked at her and shouted, "YOU CAN'T FIND HER?"

"Calm down Uncle Spence. I'm right here," Dita's voice came.

One of the larger drawers slid open to reveal Perdita. She was grinning, happily sitting in the drawer. Reid pulled her out of the drawer and set her down.

"Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" he said.

She hugged his leg and said, "It's okay Uncle Spency."

JJ looked at Reid and asked, "Any luck?"

Reid looked down at Perdita and asked, "Did you by any chance ever meet Miss April's boyfriend Dita?"

"Mark?" Dita said frowning. "I don't like him."

"Why?" Reid asked.

Dita shrugged and said, "Guess it was instinct. I just didn't like him, and then he got all mean towards April. Then I really didn't like him."

Reid sighed and said, "Well it's getting kind of late. I'm going to do some paper work and then we'll take off all right?"

Perdita just nodded. She looked over at Rossi and asked, "Do you have any books?"

"Not for little girls…" Rossi said.

Dita sighed and got up. She walked over to Prentiss's desk and took the book she had. She started reading the book when Emily came over.

"Dita what are you doing?" she asked.

The kid looked up and said, "Reading."

She laughed and shook her head.

"Just like her uncle," she sighed.

Dita smiled up at her and asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Dita…the man that you saw…was it Mark?" Emily asked.

"I don't think so…unless he grew out his hair," Perdita said. "The guy was covered in something and had a wild look to him…it was unnatural and it frightened me."

Emily nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. After a little while, Reid came over to them and said, "All right little lady, give Em her book back so we can go home."

Perdita returned the book and followed Reid. She held his hand tightly as she followed him to the elevator.

"Hey Reid!" a voice came.

He looked over to see Hotch.

"If you need someone to watch Dita tomorrow I could always ask Jessica," he said.

Reid nodded and said, "Thanks Hotch. That'd be great."

"Who's Jessica?" Dita asked.

"She's Jack's aunt," Reid said. "She watches Jack while his daddy's at work. Maybe she can watch you too so you and Jack can play together."

Dita clapped her hands excitedly. Reid picked her up and carried her out. The drive home was a peaceful one, Dita happily chatting away about her day. She talked about the pretty flower Jack had drawn her, and how JJ and them had played games. Reid felt a little jealous of JJ. She got to play with Dita while he was working, but then he remembered he was doing this for her. He was going to find out who tried to kill her and her mother.

Reid paused for a moment. What if the killer wasn't targeting Dita? She'd seen him and he'd seen her, but he didn't go after her or try to attack her. But a girl had been killed at every house…so what if there had been more than one unsub in the case?

Reid suddenly got a startling thought.

"Dita…"

"Yeah Uncle Spency?"

"When was the last time you saw your daddy?" he asked cautiously.

"My birthday," she said softly. "He and Mommy were arguing about you again. Mommy said she wanted to meet her big brother, but Daddy didn't think it was a good idea. He threatened to take me away if she did…and so did Grammy. Why don't they like you Uncle Spency? You're a good guy, almost like a real life superhero."

Reid's face was fixed in a frown. Her father threatened to take her away…but Clarice didn't neglect or abuse her girl. There was no valid reason that Clarice was unable or unfit to care for her daughter…unless she was dead. Reid swallowed and said, "I don't know why they don't like me sweetie. Maybe Daddy was jealous that she wanted to see me."

Dita nodded and said, "Daddy was always possessive. He didn't like Mommy talking to other guys."

They stopped outside his apartment and he got out of the car. He picked up Dita and carried her inside. When he set her down she asked, "Do you want to play a game?"

"Go put on your pjs on first," Reid said smiling. "You have to sleep sometime shorty."

"Only if you read me a bedtime story," she said.

Reid tickled her playfully and she ran to go get her pjs on. Reid settled down on the couch as Dita came running out in her pjs. She was wearing purple footie pajamas, and carried an old teddy bear. She crawled up onto Reid's lap and looked up at him. He took a book from the shelf and looked down at her. She was rubbing her eyes and looked up at him. He showed her the book.

"The bible?" Dita asked. "Mommy liked to read that to me. Can you read me The Creation?"

Reid nodded and opened the bible. He started to read the passage to her as she snuggled up to him. As he finished the passage, Reid looked down to see her asleep. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Perdita. He fell asleep as well, the little girl sound asleep beside him.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

_He was in a dark room. There was a baby in the center of the room and someone on the other side of it. The baby was crying and he ran trying to reach the baby before the other person did. He couldn't get to the kid, he was too slow. He pushed himself faster and faster towards the center of the room, but it seemed as if he couldn't get there._

_Suddenly, the baby was replaced by a little girl. She was crying his name, and he still couldn't reach her. As soon as she had appeared, the girl disappeared, replaced by a woman. She was in the hospital bed, a little girl standing beside it. The little girl's eyes were accusing, as if demanding why he wasn't there to save the woman._

_The little girl beside the bed started to scream covering her ears. She was covered in blood, and she crumpled to the floor. He could hear himself screaming as loud as he could, but she didn't hear him. Neither of them heard him. He heard the sound of a gunshot, and everything went black._

Reid woke up in a cold sweat. Stupid nightmares, he hated nightmares. He looked down and the fear dissipated. Perdita's face was peaceful as she slept. Reid kissed her forehead and told himself it was just a bad dream. She was safe asleep beside him. He smiled softly and remembered what Gideon had said to him. Whenever Gideon had bad dreams, he looked at the people he saved. Reid gazed at his sleeping niece and closed his eyes again. Seeing her peaceful face allowed him to fall back asleep, this time with no nightmares.

_She was alone in the dark. She couldn't see anyone, not her mother, not her mommy's friend, no one. A bright blazing light lit up and screaming echoed in her ears. She saw the man standing there. His hair was long, black, and matted. He was covered in some dark stuff; she couldn't tell what it was. His blue eyes were wide, animalistic. He looked at her and whispered, "Lucy, Lucy, Lucy, Lucy, Lucy come to Daddy."_

_He tried to grab her but another voice growled, "Leave her be!"_

_She didn't recognize this voice, but she sure recognized the next one._

"_JESUS CHRIST SOMEONE CALL 911!"_

_It was Mrs. Craftburn, the nice lady from next door. She felt hands wrap around her. She began to scream and kick the stranger holding onto her. The voice hissed in her ear, "You will be mine…no matter what."_

_She saw bodies covered in blood. She screamed as her mother's blank eyes stared back at her._

"_UNCLE SPENCER! UNCLE SPENCER! MOMMY! MOMMY!"_

"Perdita?" a voice came worriedly.

She opened her eyes and looked at her uncle. He sat her up and asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"

She nodded as he brushed some of the honey colored hair out of her face. Reid hugged her gently and said, "I had a nightmare too."

He glanced at the clock and saw it was two in the morning. He sighed and looked at her. Perdita nodded and said, "At first it was the fire and the man…and there was another voice, another person. I didn't know who it was. He grabbed me but I got away…and then you were all dead."

"What?" Reid asked a bit frightened.

"You, Mommy, Sean, and the others were dead," she cried. "It was horrible. I don't want to lose you!"

Reid hugged her and said, "I was looking at some photos of your mother earlier and along with some of yours. I saw your mother as a baby, then as a little girl, and then as she was at the hospital. I tried to reach her…but I couldn't get to your mother. I couldn't get to her fast enough to save her…and then you were both gone too. I don't want to lose you either."

Perdita hugged Reid and said, "I love you Uncle Reid."

Reid wrapped her arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"I love you too kiddo."

Reid watched her fall back asleep, wrapped protectively in his arms. He looked down at her and said, "I promise I won't let that man hurt you Dita. I promise."


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

Reid woke the next morning and looked down at the little girl cuddled up next to his stomach. She was peacefully sleeping beside him, much to his relief. He got up and got dressed. He prepared to go to work, before he remembered something. He grabbed Perdita's bag and packed it with stuff she might need.

Reid finished getting ready and turned back to Perdita. He lifted her up slowly and headed for the door. It was still early in the morning, but Hotch had told him to swing by early if he wanted to drop Perdita off. Reid walked outside; surprised Dita hadn't woken up yet. He felt slightly guilty about leaving her with Haley, but he supposed she'd keep Jack preoccupied.

Reid buckled her in and gently shook her. She opened her eyes and yawned.

"Hey Dita, would you like to spend the day with Jack?" he asked her.

"Oooo!" Dita said sleepily. "I'd love to!"

"I'm going to drive you to his house okay?" Reid asked. "You'll stay with him and his aunt while I'm at work."

Perdita nodded as Reid started the car. She fell back asleep on the way to the house. He sighed when he pulled up to the house. He turned around and sighed at the sight. She looked so tiny when she was all curled up. He got out of the car and looked at the house. Much to his surprise, a woman was peering out the window. He smiled and waved at the woman. He got Perdita out of the car and grabbed her bag.

The woman opened the door and said, "Hello Dr. Reid. This must be the little girl Jack was telling me about yesterday."

"Hello," Reid said. "This is my niece Perdita. Thank you for watching her."

"No problem…Jack was very excited when I told him last night," the woman smiled. "C'mon in, you can set her down on the couch."

Reid walked inside and looked around. He was quiet as he set Dita down on the couch. He gently shook her shoulders. Dita woke up again and looked at him.

"Wha?"

"I'm leaving now okay Dita? I have to go to work, but I'll be back later to pick you up all right?"

Perdita's eyes flew open as she nodded. She looked over at the lady, and Spencer said, "That's Miss Jessica. She's Jack's aunt."

Jessica waved and said, "Go back to sleep sweetheart."

Dita smiled and closed her eyes. Reid kissed her forehead and got up. He thanked her again before going out to his car. He sighed and drove away.

Reid was on his way to the BAU when he received a phone call. He looked down. He didn't know who it was, but he assumed it was March. He answered the phone and heard a deep growling voice on the other end.

"If you know what's good for you; you will drop this case, give Perdie back to her grandmother, and you will end all communications with Clarice. If you continue, you will pay dearly for it."

Then the line went dead.


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

"You reached him?" a voice asked.

The man turned and said, "Yes, I did as you requested. I told him to drop the case, return the girl, and cut contacts with Clarice."

"Excellent," the woman said. "How's the underling doing?"

"He's still stark raving mad, but he's on his way to the Martins' house right now," he said.

The woman nodded and said, "John Martin, 39, wife's name is Ellen, they have a girl named Sophia?"

"They're the ones," the man said.

She nodded and said, "People will continue to die until they're taken care of."

The man nodded and walked away.

*Over at the Martin Household*

"Johnny…I think I heard someone outside," Ellen Martin said to her husband.

He nodded and got up. He looked over and saw his daughter, Sophia walk into the room. Sophia looked at her father and said, "Daddy? I thought I heard somebody!"

Ellen picked Sophia up into her arms. John went over to the window and saw a man with a lighter. He turned around to scream, but it was too late. The home went up in flames. They raced out of their bedroom and raced down the steps. The fire blazed as they tried to get to the door. Sophia was crying, Ellen tried to calm her frantic child. The only thing John could think of was, "_At least we'll die together, and Sophia won't be left alone."_

He tried to get out through the front door, but there was no hope for them. He saw a broken window and took Sophia from Ellen. He dumped her outside of the window and told her to run. Sophia sobbed, "Daddy! Daddy! Mommy! MOMMY HE'S GOT A G—"

There was a loud bang, and John Martin lost consciousness. Ellen Martin saw her daughter, dead on the lawn. A person was standing above her screaming, "FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME LUCY! PLEASE LUCY FORGIVE ME!"

Ellen grabbed her husband's hand and let herself sink into the darkness. She sighed contentedly, at least she'd be with her daughter.

*Outside the house*

The man looked down at the crumpled child and cried. What had he done? He'd taken the life of a little girl…who looked so much like his sister. He cried bitterly and looked up at the sky.

"FORGIVE ME LUCY! FORGIVE ME BARBRA!" he yelled.

Across the street a man was standing by the window. He woke his sister and told her to dial 911. She took the house phone and called. He took out his cell phone and dialed another number.

"Hello…Dr. Reid? It's March. There's been another fire…and a little girl's been shot dead."


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

"_Hello…Dr. Reid? It's March. There's been another fire…and a little girl's been shot dead."_

Reid nearly dropped the phone when he heard the news. He took a deep breath and asked, "Has anyone called 911?"

"May called 911," March said. "I-I-I heard Sophia screaming."

"What?"

"The little girl…I woke up to her screaming…" he said. "I thought it was one of the kids before I remembered they'd been moved. Then I heard the gun."

Reid swallowed and then told March to stay in the house. He frowned and dialed another number.

"Hotch? Another house has been burned, and I girl was shot dead. I'm heading over there to talk with March and May," Reid said slowly.

"Reid…is something else wrong?" Hotch asked detecting something in the younger man's voice.

"Hotch…someone called me earlier. He told me to drop the case, give Dita back, and to cut contact with my sister," Reid admitted.

"Reid I'm heading out your way right now," Hotch said. "We'll talk more when we meet up at the crime scene."

"All right Hotch, I'll meet you over there."

"Be careful Reid…" Hotch warned.

With that the call ended, and Reid focused on the road. He was worried about what could happen. There was one thing he was positive of, whoever their unsub was, they had something to do with Perdita and Clarice. He became extremely nervous when he looked at a car that was getting a little too close. Suddenly the car pulled away. Reid breathed out a sigh of relief and focused on the road again.

The next thing he knew, he was frantically turning the wheel, and then all went black.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

She bolted up right, her fingernails digging into the couch. Jessica rushed into the room and said, "What's wrong sweetie?"

Perdita looked at Jessica with tears in her eyes. She got off the couch and raced over to her. The little girl hugged her and cried, "I-I-I h-h-h-had a n-n-nightmare! It w-w-w-was h-h-horrid! Uncle Spence w-w-w-was in a c-c-car ac-ac-accident!"

Jessica Brooks sighed and held the little girl tightly. She bent down and said, "Everything's all right honey. Uncle Spencer's okay, he just had to go to work."

"Aunty Jessie?" a tired voice came. "Wha's going on?"

Perdita and Jessica looked over to see Jack. Jack had woken up after Perdita started screaming. Jessica looked over at Jack and said, "Dita had a bad dream Jack."

Jack walked over and said, "You wanna talk about it? Daddy does that with me when I have nightmares."

"N-Not now Jack," she said. "I-I-I want to talk to my uncle."

Jessica reached for the phone, and as she grabbed it, it began to ring. She answered the phone and began talking. Jack tugged on her arm, but Jessica ignored it. Perdita looked at Jessica's face of horror and hers turned to a look of horror. Jessica put the phone down at looked at Perdita.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! HE PROMISED HE'D PROTECT ME! HE PROMISED! HE CAN'T-"

"Sweetie listen to me…"

"NO! NO! NO!" the little girl cried.

She turned towards the door and ran out, Jack racing behind her. Jessica got up and ran after them. As she chased down the two kids the only thing she could think of was, _"Aaron get your ass over here and fast."_


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

It took Hotch six solid minutes, but he managed to corral Perdita and calm her down. Jack had stopped running after Hotch caught Perdita. Jessica was standing behind Jack, anxiously looking at the little girl sobbing into Hotch's shoulder. He was rubbing her back and telling her that everything was okay. Jack even pitched in, telling her that Spencer would be okay because he was a superhero like his daddy.

Perdita, being a logical child, dismissed what Jack had said. Well, not entirely. The words gave her some comfort knowing he cared, so she said nothing about it being illogical. She just huddled closer to Hotch, right now the only person making sense in her mind. He worked with her uncle, knew him. She felt she could trust him to tell her the truth. She looked up at him, her hazel eyes wide with hurt.

Hotch almost flinched as he looked into her eyes. The eyes that had once looked at him in shyness and in trust now gazed at him, hurt and betrayed. He looked up at Jessica and asked, "Did you tell her the whole story?"

"I didn't get a chance," Jessica said. "She knew something was up and became very upset."

Hotch looked back at the face that reminded him of the genius. He then said very softly, "Dita? Dita I need you to listen to me. Spencer is alive. He's hurt, but alive. He was in a—"

"Car accident?" Dita finished on the verge of tears. "I had a nightmare about it."

Hotch just stared for a moment. He then asked, "Perdita…have you seen your father lately?"

"No," she answered. "I haven't seen my grandmother either."

"Do you think they'd try to hurt Spencer?" he asked.

Perdita just stared at him before asking, "They did this didn't they?"

"We don't know Dita," Hotch said quickly. "I'm just asking."

He saw the pain in her eyes and knew she felt betrayed yet again. He looked at Jessica and asked, "Do you think you could take her to the hospital? I have to get back."

Jessica sighed and nodded. She looked at her nephew and asked, "Would you like to come see Uncle Spencer too?"

Jack nodded and then asked, "Dita isn't your mommy in the hospital? Can I meet her too?"

Perdita looked at him and said, "She is…maybe we could see her."

Jessica smiled softly at the kids. She patted Jack on the head and rubbed Dita's shoulder. Hotch kissed Jack on the forehead and hugged Dita before he left. Dita looked at Jack and asked, "Why do you want to meet her?"

"Jus' 'cause I want to meet her," Jack said. "I'd show you my mommy, 'cept she's in heaven."

Dita gave Jack a sympathetic look. She hugged the smaller boy and he hugged back. It was moments like these that made Jessica forget the child she was watching was seven. There were times Perdita seemed older than she truly was, something her and Spencer had in common. They appeared so young, yet acted older than they were. Jessica told her to go get some clothes on and to grab her bag. She nodded and disappeared to go get dressed.


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS! Nor do I own any other copy-righted things mentioned.**

"This is freaken great," Morgan said as he looked down at a body.

He felt his heart tug a bit as he looked down at the child. Another child that'd never had a chance; another that would never have a future. He bent down to get a better look at her. She looked peaceful as she lay in the lawn, a single gunshot wound to the chest. Morgan got up and muttered, "Must have gotten out somehow…"

He walked over to the house, which had sustained serious damage. He saw what looked like the remains of a window. An EMT came over to him and said, "The woman's still alive…for now."

Morgan jogged over to the ambulance and saw the badly burned woman lying there. The woman looked up and said, "Why'd you throw her out the window Johnny?"

Johnny, Morgan assumed that was her husband. He threw her, which must have been the daughter, out the window. Morgan assumed again that it was one of the lower windows because they child was uninjured aside from the cause of death, the bullet wound. He looked at the EMT who just shook his head.

"There's no way she's surviving this…" he said. "Sorry for being so blunt but I don't want anyone to get their hopes up."

Morgan still eyed the EMT with suspicion, but turned his attention back over to the dying lady. She was mumbling something.

"Why'd you shoot my baby? Why my Sophia? Who's Barbra? Who's Lucy?"

So many questions…and she'd never have them answered. Prentiss appeared behind Morgan and asked, "Who's Barbra? Lucy we've heard, Sophia's the daughter, but who's Barbra?"

Morgan turned quickly to see his team mate behind him. Morgan shrugged and allowed them to cart away the woman. There was no way he was going to get something out of her. He turned to Prentiss and said, "She asked her husband why he threw Sophia out the window. I assume the fire had already been started and he was desperate to save one of them."

"They would have been downstairs," Prentiss said. "The girl didn't have any other injuries except for the bullet wound."

"I'm guessing the window was broken," Morgan continued. "John Martin desperate to save his daughter tossed her out the window. It's unknown whether he saw his daughter get shot, but the wife saw it. She was asking why someone shot her baby. I'm guessing she passed out after Sophia was shot. So far we have one witness…March Allgost."

As if one cue the man came over looking sick. Morgan gave him a soft smile and said, "Queasy kid? I'm guessing you saw Sophia."

March shivered and whispered, "I heard her scream."

"What?" Prentiss asked.

"I heard Sophia scream," he said louder. "I thought September or October had a nightmare until I remembered that they weren't in the house. Then I heard the gun…and I woke May up and told her to call 911. I saw the fire and the guy was begging someone to forgive him. He kept asking for forgiveness from a Barbra and Lucy. I don't know who Barbra is. Where's Reid? I called him earlier; he said he was coming."

"Where is Reid, Prentiss?" Morgan asked, not yet aware. "You said Hotch called you. What did he want?"

"Morgan…" Prentiss said slowly. "Spencer…"

Derek's eyes darkened. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. He looked at March, who's face had lost all color. The way the boy was staring told Morgan he didn't know what was going on.

"Spencer was in a car accident on his way here," the black haired woman said. "He's at the hospital."

Morgan looked intently at March. The boy's face reflected one of absolute horror. He knew the kid wasn't acting. Morgan tapped March on the shoulder and said, "We need to talk."

March nodded and walked away with Morgan. The boy leaned against the black sedan looking sick. He opened his wallet and took out a picture. He handed it to Morgan and said, "I'll bet you anything this is the man that tried to kill Reid."

Morgan looked down at the picture. The one person was April, but there was a man standing next to her. He looked to be in his early twenties, brown haired with hazel eyes. Morgan looked up at March and said, "I'd take it this is Mark Russels."

"Yeah…" March said bitterly. "I don't know what else I can tell you."

"Do you know his address?" Morgan asked.

"1905, West Brooke," March said. "April still has a key. She hid it in our room, but I found it last night."

"Mind getting me that key?" Morgan asked.

"No problem," March said.

He turned away and ran back into his house. The kid reappeared a moment later. Morgan called Prentiss.

"We're going to pay Mark Russels a visit," he said. "You coming with us?"

Prentiss shook her head and said, "You go. I'll see what I can gather here."

Morgan looked at the boy and said, "Let's go."


	16. Apology

If you're a fan of Gateway, or Gateway products, you may not want to read the rest of this note unless you want to know the reason of my hiatus.

So starting off, after my sister broke my old Toshiba laptop, I got a Gateway laptop. Now I've had this laptop for about 18 months. The other day, it wouldn't turn on. I was confused because I hadn't had any problems recently. Before I had had problems getting it to run programs, and sometimes even loading webpages, but that hadn't happened in a out the goddamned motherf***** hard drive died. IT DIED ON ME. I had it for less than two years...and it died. So for anyone who has ever had this happen to them, you all know what happens. Yeah, I lost pretty much everything, save a few items that had been backed up. But every recent file was lost. That shitty piece of crap had been breaking on me since day one, so if anyone knows where I can find a email address for Gateway to lodge a complaint, please tell me.

I apologize greatly, but this means I'll be on hiatus while I gather up what's left of my files. I'll have to rewrite a great deal of my files, as much as this sucks, I am going to do it. So for those of you who've been patiently waiting for updates that were supposed to be coming soon since I finally got some free time away from my two-year old sister, I am sooooooo sorry. I'll try and get back to the stories. If anyone has had this happen and wants to vent with me for a little bit that would be great. I'm looking to blow some steam off before I contact Gateway about their less than satisfactory product.

One again I can't tell you all how really sorry I am. I wish I could fix that damn hard drive but I can't. Thank you for being so understanding towards me, and I'll try super hard to get back to them. I'm also starting another year of schooling soon too, so that makes this even worse since I'll have even less time to write. Thanks for sticking around this long.

Love, Nurse Steggy


End file.
